Ten years later
"Mali! Wait!" came the cry from behind Mali as she swung through the last obstacle in the course she and the lost boys had created.
It had been ten years since she had 'fallen' out of her cradle, and Mallory (Mali) Ellwood was now a happy, hyper, eleven-year-old genius. She hadpenetrating blue eyes and brownish-black hair that came only to her chin. Her daily attire consisted of a dark brown shirt that came down just past her belly button, and had vines sewn on in an X across her chest, and some knee-length shorts that were a dark green.
Mali was currently near the top of a tree where her bedroom was (A/N for those of you who've seen it, I'm envisioning a 'Hook' Setting where each of the boys have their own room, hanging somewhere in the massive tree fort).
Mali sighed. "I have to get to sleep! I've got trials tomorrow!" She shouted down at Slightly, her best friend out of the lost boys. Because she was a girl, when she'd first arrived, the boys had treated her like a china doll. Like she was so fragile she would break if they mistreated her. Mali was finally so disgusted she kicked Slightly out of her tree. Literally. He took an eighteen-foot fall before he remembered he could fly. They were fast friends ever since. Now that she'd fought with all the boys (it seemed that was the only way she could get them to treat her normally), they respected her and treated her as an equal. All but Peter, that is. She'd never fought with him, though he didn't treat her like glass either. Whenever Mali was around he either ignored her, or acted like she was not worthy of his precious time.
Tink had shown signs of intense dislike towards Mali in her first few years in Neverland, but after Mali made her a house complete with furniture and clothes, Tink became slightly more agreeable. The fairy flew past her now.
"Hi Tink! What's new?" Mali greeted her.
Tinkerbelle flew in a circle, thumping a shimmering drum to the beat of her steps.
"The Indians are having a dance? Tonight? Are we invited?"
Tink stepped lazily from side to side, trying to look innocent, while slightly shaking her head.
"No! Where is Nibbs! NIBBS?"
A short chubby boy came swinging across her porch-like area, screaming. As he swung past Mali, she calmly cut the vine and he fell on the seat of leaves, narrowly missing Tink, who set about buzzing angrily around his head.
"Sorry Tink. OW!" cried the boy, sending the girls into fits of laughter.
"Okay Nibbs. The Indians are having a dance, and we're not invited."
"So?" The boy said.
"IDIOT!" shouted Mali, cuffing him on the head. "That's our excuse to barge in!"
"Why?" inquired Nibbs, this time ducking before Mali's calloused hand reached him.
"Because I'm bored and-Oh. Pirates! I forgot about the STUPID trials!"
Mali set about pacing and angrily muttering.
"Why can't we attack the pirates again?"
"Because they haven't done anything lately, which bothers me, and it's not in our code to attack for fun."
"But that's what you wanted to do with the Indians!"
"That's…different. The Indians didn't invite us, and Tiger Lily is off on that one hunting trip, so that's no fun."
"Okay?" Nibbs was now thoroughly confused.
"Never mind, Nibbs. Just send one of the boys over to see what the Indians are doing. I there is anything important tell Peter or myself. Understood? Oh and send Curly, he hasn't been out in a while."
"Yes ma'am!" Saluted Nibbs. He walked directly off the tree and flew over to his perch.
"Show-off," muttered Mali.
She crashed back into her loft bed, staring at the stars until she drifted into a tense, fitful sleep.
Mali awoke to the insistent sound of tinkling bells and the pulling of her hair by a certain fairy we all love.
"OW! TINKERBELLE! GEROFF!" steamed Mali. She jumped out of her fur-covered bed and descended to a small rock platform that had a bed of soft pine needles. Mali lay there for a moment, inhaling the fresh, sweet scent. Then she ran her fingers through her hair and dunked her head in the pool created by a nearby waterfall. "AHH! COLD!" Mali screamed, causing two birds to squawk and fly away.
Water dripping down her back, Mali squished her was back through the foliage to get to the breakfast area.
The boys were there, throwing as much food as they ate. Mali silently picked up an egg, than tossed it in the air above Slightly's head. Time seemed to slow as the boys first noticed her, than the flying egg. Slightly looked up in time to see the egg spin towards his face. When the Flying Egg Projectile was eight inches above the tip of Slightly's upturned nose, Mali reached out and clapped her hands together, causing the egg yolk and white to spin away, splashing herself, the Lost Boys, and Peter, who had just arrived on the scene.
The boys stared, speechless, as Peter looked down and wiped a strand of egg off his chest.
He looked up at Mali, their eyes connected for a moment in an intense, electrifying gaze. It was Peter who first broke contact, staring then at her yolk-dripping hair and eggshell slowly falling from her hands. The silence was intense as Peter's green eyes moved over to the confused and alarmed Slightly, whose spiky hair and freckled face was splattered and dripping with yolk.
Peter turned and left as abruptly as he had arrived. Mali melted out of her shock and looked at the boys, all of whom were ogling her with expressions from awe to 'You are so busted.'
The girl walked to Peter's tree in a daze. "Peter?" The word sounded foreign and awkward in the consuming silence around Mali as she addressed the bearskin that served as a door. She heard a muffled grunt that she took as entrance permission. Taking a deeper breath than necessary, Mali pulled back the fur and stepped for the first time into Peter's quarters.
Whee! I LOOOVE that feeling when I get done. Now to thank my lovely reviewers:
Dumbledalf: I checked chappie 1 like 3 times for grammar/punctuation mistakes, and I redid the chapter. Tell me if you see anything else.
psyonic-feral976: glad you like it so much. I'll probly update once a week, until I get more than one fic going…
Tamaran Girl: last chapter was just over one page, and this is almost 4, so I hope it's better. I edited the last chapter, and I made some minor changes to clear some things up. Hope it's better! Oi! I almost forgot coughi hate how girls are always pictured weak too glad to have someone who agrees w/mecough
healergirl: I added some names in the dialogue. Yes, it is my first fic, and many more to come! Oh, and its set in the same time as the movie: late 1800's/early 1900's-ish.